Last Friday, for starters, would have been Laurie Cunningham's 57th birthday.

A legend of West Bromwich Albion's past European campaigns, imagine what he'd make of the Baggies' progress these days.

Of the current team, Jonas Olsson and Steven Reid celebrated birthdays yesterday.

It was also the 13th anniversary of Gary Megson's appointment as Baggies boss. Back then they were heading for the third tier. Albion have moved on since then.

And then there is Romelu Lukaku. He and Jeff Astle have something in common - the King celebrated his 51st birthday on the day Albion's new latest pretender was born, on May 13 1993 (the next Baggies' fixture was against Swansea in the Division Two play-off first leg as it happens - Albion then won the return at the Hawthorns when Lukaku was just six days old).

It was Albion's ninth home win of the season, the most games they have ever won at The Hawthorns in the Premier League.

And no club has ever been relegated from the Premier League on 43 points, just in case your glass of beer is forever half empty.

The Baggies were making an unlikely bid for the Europa League, although yesterday's FA Cup draw makes that even more of a distant prospect now.

Saturday's game against Swansea was one of those matches which came with blue flashing lights. The potential for a fall was obvious. It was, in many ways, a fascinating game to watch. Two sides intent on trying different things on a tactical front.

What we witnessed was a life-size game of chess for large periods of the game. Players maneuvered themselves and the ball around the pitch patiently during a lethargic opening 30 minutes.

It was all a little low-key. Luke Moore managed to lose his designer limp for long enough to get ahead of Claudio Yacob and divert his header past Ben Foster for Swansea's opener.

Albion struggled early on to cope against fairly good Swansea movement yet they found themselves level on 40 minutes. A long ball was planted down the field, Chris Brunt flicked it on with his head, Graham Dorrans pounded down the right and sent in a low cross which was converted by Lukaku.

Albion should have had a second when James Morrison was impeded by Wayne Routledge. Lukaku smacked his penalty badly - allowing Michel Vorm to gather. Yet Albion scored their second just after the hour. McAuley rose to head Brunt's header goalbound. Angel Rangel headed it away, but only against Jonathan De Guzman. The ball struck the Swansea midfielder and bounced back over the line.

The second-half dynamic was different. Whisper it quietly to purists, but Albion went a little more direct. They cut out the middle man and went for Swansea's throat. It worked.

Swansea instructed their full-backs to behave like wingers and the game opened up yet Albion kept their shape. Billy Jones, so effective defensively, bombarded down the right-wing with such ease. Youssouf Mulumbu's dominance grew, Dorrans broke down the right with energy and efficiency and Brunt became more influential.

Brunt's game evolved in a curious, albeit successful manner. What he did well, worked brilliantly, yet he had frustrating spells where things just didn't run for him. All in all, however, he produced the goods and he coerced those around him well.

And Claudio Yacob, a relative slow burner on Saturday, grew into a prominent role. His anticipation of play was so effective that you half expected him to walk off for full-time five minutes before everyone else. He dictated play with his usual style. There was character, leadership, bravado. None of it was false - all of it was chanelled towards an Albion side who continue to impress.

Lukaku was robust but so intelligent. He doesn't waste energy. He works defenders with skill and guile. His head remained high, despite his penalty miss. Swansea's backline developed the same weariness we see from other defenders. Michu, meanwhile, could only watch and learn. It wasn't his day.

Albion were fortunate late on. Swansea scored through Roland Lamah only to see it wrongly chalked off for offside by linesman Lee Betts after Foster had been the last player to touch the ball.

It was a poor decision. And it cost the visitors a point. Routledge perhaps best summed up frustrations when he tweeted afterwards: "Can't even write what I wanna say on here or I'm defiantly getting fined. Unbelievable! #WatchTheReplays." Indeed.

On that basis Albion were lucky, but their overall performance warranted a victory.

Where it was once absurd, the prospect of a possible run top six finish isn't out of the question for Albion.

Laurie Cunningham, Gary Megson, Jeff Astle and now Romelu Lukaku - there's a new chapter yet to be written into the club's history.

There is no reason why a new entry cannot be made between now and May.